Top Backpacking Gadgets

Heading to the great outdoors? We have some tools four you.

Backpackers are the most versatile type of traveler, who need everything from a $200 GPS to a BlastMatch Fire Starter replacing your lighter. You don´t need to be a boy scout to master these tools.

Here are some top gadgets for your next backpacking trip.

Fire Starter – Fire starters create up to three times the heat a regular matchbook could, critical in cold weather. Aim for a waterproof fire starter like the Ultimate Survival Technologies StrikeForce fire starter(retailing for $19) An alternative is the BlastMatch fire starter which uses a one handed design and a spring loaded rotating flint bar to produce hundreds of strikes. Pick this over the StrikeForce if you care about weight and portability.

Digital talking translators – To go simple, Google Translate on your Apple or Android is deadly accurate. You can recite a phrase or two and have it translated back to you (verbally and written) in more than 10 languages. If you want a more robust version, the Nyrius Global ENTOURAGE7 translator translates more than 5000 phrases in each in 7 languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese. For the price of a large dictionary ($14), there is no reason to go paperback again.

Water purifier – You are bound to run out for water on long excursions and have a diarrhea trip, so a UV water purifier comes in handy. Many are formed like pens, inserted into water to remove 99.9% of germs. Check out SteriPen with its quick purification power of 16 ounces of water in under a minute. Be sure to pack plenty of AA batteries.

All weather blanket – Those blankets from home are not ideal for all weather conditions. The $12 Space all weather blanket and the $23 MPI All Weather Emergency Survival retain 80% and 90% of your body heat, respectively, and are perfect for the cold. They are also durable and very lightweight. Many of these materials are insulating innovations worked on by NASA so you know its right.